The Epic of Ezlac
by Epona64
Summary: The land of Pokemon is being devastated by diasters of every kind. Ezlac is a baby Torchic, born into a happy family. All that is destroyed when her parents as taken away from her by one of these disaters.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Just so you know, I wrote this story before Diamond/Pearl came out, so I don't mention Sinnoh or any of the Pokemon there. Also, this is based more off the Mystery Dungen Games than anything else._

Chapter 1

I have always been known for my good memory. In fact, I can even remember when I hatched. Everything was dark. I felt cramped. Hard, smooth walls were pressing down on me, crushing me. I pecked frantically at the wall and I broke through. Brilliant yellow light streamed through the crack. I wanted more. I pushed on the crack, expanding it more and more until the entire wall broke away, and I was free.

I remember looking around, wet and flat. The light was brighter than I had expected. I blinked.

"Oh, look at her!" a voice called from above. It was deep and flickery. I looked up. All I saw were two great red towers, looming above me.

"What should we name her?" another, deeper voice said.

"I think we decided Ezlac for the girl." the first voice said.

I blinked and cocked my head. My eyes had adjusted to the light. The two towers came into focus. I saw what I would know later were Blaziken. Their towering red bodies emanated heat and their sharp beaks curved wickedly from their face. Their small blue eyes looked down on me and the small flames on their wrists warmed me gently as the larger of the two picked me up.

"Hey there Ezlac. I'm your father," he nodded towards his companion, "and this is your mother.

Both of them smiled warmly in a way only Blaziken could; their usually intimidating beaks softened and the fire on their wrists burned smaller, but warmer.

As I wandered around the nest, practicing the difficult action of walking, my mother went out and caught a small Wurmple for me to eat. After I had gained confidence with in my stride, my parents took me to a small lake to have a drink. I was shocked to notice that I looked nothing like my parents. I did not have the long, slender body of my mother of the sharp, wicked beak of my father. Instead, I was short and fat with no sign of the graceful arms my parents possessed. Panicked, I ran to my parents who merely laughed gently and explained to me that I would grow up to a Blaziken just like them when I got older.

My mind at ease, I was able to relax and enjoy our stay at the lake. I could hear Tailow chirping in the trees. Every so once in a while, o Goldeen would break the smooth surface of the lake, sending ripples all across the water. We stayed at the lake for several more hours before returning home. At the time, I couldn't comprehend how lucky I was to have that time together with my parents. I was not ready for what happened only a few days later.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Several days after my hatching, I began to wander around the forest by our nest. I loved the crisp air that surrounded me. As I walked, I would practice blowing little puffs of flame, careful not to set anything on fire. Every so once in a while, I would spot a small Pokémon out of the corner of my eye. I was never able to catch it though. I was fascinated the most by the Buetifly. Their bright fluttering wings mesmerized me. I could not help but trot after them. It was one of these Buetifly that l saved my life.

I had wandered almost all the way to the lake when an exceptionally pretty Buetifly caught my attention. I went running as usual after the little thing. Then as I leaped over a log, everything slowed down. I noticed the trees around me shaking violently. A large branch fell off to my side. I was scared to land on the quivering ground; I flapped my stubby little wings desperately and closed.

Time suddenly zoomed back to normal speed, and I realized that I was had not hit the heaving earth yet. I opened my eyes. The ground had stopped shaking, and I was Flying! I landed lightly on the ground and looked about. Trees had been uprooted all around me. I could hear pained cries in the distance. I was still scared. I had no idea what had just taken place. I started walking slowly back to my nest. At first, I had not even realized I had stumbled into the clearing that had been my home for nearly a week. The nest was scattered everywhere, and my parents were nowhere to be found. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of red among the destroyed foliage.

I trotted anxiously up to the speck of redness to find my mother, lying sprawled on the overturned ground. I cocked my head and looked at my mother. She was lying flat on her back underneath a felled tree.

"Mommy?" I whispered softly as I cocked my head again. "Mommy, are—are you okay?" She didn't answer.

I took several shaky steps towards my motionless mother. I sat carefully next to her.

"Please, mommy, say something!" I begged, "Please mommy!" I buried my head in her soft down. "Please... mommy..." tears flowed freely down my face as I fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I don't know how long I slept. It could have been only a few hours or even days; it didn't matter. I knew that my parents were gone and that my life would never be the same. I awoke to something shaking me. I opened my eyes and looked up. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the bright light. A dark shadow was outlined against the brilliant yellow sun.

"Oh thank the Master your alive!" the figure exclaimed.

The voice was kind and smooth. I felt myself being lifted up. The dark figure was pulling me away from my mother! I couldn't leave her, not yet. I fought to get back down, but the three-fingered hands held me tight.

"Now honey, you can't stay here. The Skarmory are going to be here soon." the kind voice said.

I allowed myself to be lifted up and tucked into a warm pouch. The dark figure began to walk away from my mother. I looked up and saw a rough, dinosaur-like face. I learned later that my savior and her companions were Kangaskahn. I was scared at first; the Kangaskahn looked fierce, but the words she had said to me earlier calmed me somewhat. I decided that the Kangaskahn was friendly and nestled deeper into the warm pouch. My Kangaskahn stepped up to a smaller one.

"I think this little one is all that we are going to find Moret. We should be getting back." the larger Kangaskahn said.

The Kangaskahn known as Moret shrouded something and a slightly smaller Kangaskahn stepped out of the forest, shaking his head.

"That was a nasty earthquake. Those Blaziken didn't stand a chance. I don't even know if a Trapinch could—"He stopped and looked at the Kangaskahn I was riding in. My Kangaskahn was the only female in the group, and she was also the largest.

"Oh, sorry mom." he mumbled.

The three Kangaskahn walked slowly through the forest. As the walked, I thought about what had happened. I remember my parents talking about disasters. They said that a place called Kanto was suffering form wildfires, blizzards and thunderstorms. They also mentioned a place called Johto. They said that tsunamis, floods, wildfires and severe hurricanes were causing major problems. They said that Hoenn was having problems with floods, droughts, severe earthquakes, tornadoes and meteor showers. Even though I did not really know what any of that stuff meant, but none of it sounded good. My thoughts were interrupted by the female Kangaskahn.

"My name is Retom, what's yours?" she asked, looking down at me briefly.

"Ezlac." I said softly.

"Ezlac. That's a nice name."

"Thank you." I muttered, "When will I be able to see my mama again?"

Retom sighed and stopped walking. "Ezlac, how old are you?" she asked

"Ummm. I'm not really sure." I replied with a blush.

"Well, I'm afraid that you will never see your parents again." Retom said in a pained voice

I'm mot sure why I acted so surprised. I knew that I wouldn't see my parents again; but somehow hearing it from another individual hurt me. "Wait! Why not? Did I do something wrong? What did I do?" I whined.

"Oh, no honey! It isn't your fault. "Retom answered quickly.

"Well why can't I see them again?"

"Ezlac, I'm afraid that your parents are—"she paused and sighed. "Your parents are—"she paused again, bracing herself for her next sentence. "Your parents have passed away." Retom said with chilling finality

"No, no, no!" I screamed, squirming in the pouch.

"Its okay, sweetheart. I'm here to take care of you." Retom said softly as she gently lifted me out of her pouch and held me close. "Henmore! Get me a tasty berry for little Ezlac!" she called

The smallest of the Kangaskahn came up, digging inside of a small bag at its side. Henmore handed it to his mother before walking away. Retom gently fed me the berry. The sweet taste calmed me down somewhat. I looked up at Retom's gentle face. She swayed gently back and forth as she spoke.

"Sh-sh-sh. Everything is going to be alright sweetheart." Retom cooed softly, "We'll g to my house, make some friends, eat a nice meal. What do you think?"

I looked down slowly and nodded. Retom carefully placed me back in her pouch and continued moving on. I nestled down as far as I could into her pouch. I did not even notice when I drifted off to sleep for the second time that day.


	4. Chapter 4

_Hey people! Sorry for the delay in getting this out, I have been REALLY busy the last couple of weeks, and just couldn't find time to work on it! Thank you for being so patient!_

Chapter 4

When I woke up, I was in a small bed, with a warm blanket spread over me. I cracked one eye open and looked around. I saw many blurry shapes looming over me. I really didn't feel like talking to anybody, so I rolled over.

"C'mon! You gotta wake up!" a loud, almost sticky voice called.

I opened my eyes and gasped. A Spheal was rolling back and forth along my bed. I rolled to the other side and was greeted by a pair of huge eyes staring innocently at me. I jumped up. A Horsea was floating at the foot of the bed.

"Um, do you think you could give me some space?" I looked down at the Dratini still eying me, "Please? I don't want to talk to anyone right now."

"Why? Is it cuz' you're an orphan? Huh?" the Spheal said, rolling more frantically.

"I-well-um-" my eyes started to burn.

"Alright, give her a break. She's been through a lot." Moret had walked into the room.

He shooed the three away and placed a small plate of food onto my lap. I sniffed it and looked up at him.

"It probably isn't what you are used to, but here at Rethom's we don't eat other Pokémon." Moret said.

"Wh-what's Rethom's?" I asked examining the food.

"Rethom's Orphanage. My grandfather opened it a few years ago."

"Is he here?" I took a nibble out of one of the warm pellets. It wasn't bad.

"Oh, he disappeared on a trip to Kanto to help with recovery from disasters." Moret answered, smiling. "You like that don't you?"

I looked up and nodded my mouth full of food.

"Well, when you're done eating, just leave your plate on the floor. I'll come back to pick it up later." Moret said turning to leave, "Oh, whenever you're ready, why don't you get to know your roommates?"

I looked over at the three Pokémon rolling on the floor. At the time, it didn't seem like I could ever make friends. When I was done eating, I put my plate down on the floor like Moret had asked, then I climbed out of the bed. The Spheal was the first to notice. He rolled over right away. The Dratini was right behind it, followed by the Horsea. Even though the Spheal had started first, the Dratini got to me before he did.

"Did you like the food?" it asked, slithering up.

"It was better than I had expected." I said quietly.

The Dratini chuckled. Its voice was smooth and high-pitched.

"I felt the same way the first time I ate here. Retom is the best cook ever!" the Spheal had rolled up and had begun bouncing.

"My name is Ezlac, what's yours?" I asked, trying to ignore the Spheal.

"Liguis." the Dratini answered

I had already become fond of Liguis. She was calmer than the rolly Spheal.

"I'm Lapeh!" The Spheal shouted.

"And I'm Tirquis." the Horsea said, floating up.

"Well Ezlac, you've filled up the last bed in our room!" Liguis said.

"Yay!" Lapeh screamed, jumping up.

We talked until the sun went down, and past even that. We told each other our stories. Lapeh had been separated from his parents during a flood. Tirquis had been scooped up during a particularly powerful water spout in Kanto and had fallen nearby. Liguis simply hatched all alone, with no parents whatsoever.

Over the several years that I stayed at Rethom's, we all became best friends. I thought that I had finally found a place for me to settle in; with my new family. If only I had known how wrong I really was.


	5. Chapter 5

_Just a reminder, I wrote this _before_ Diamond/Pearl came out, so Sinnoh is not mentioned. At all. Nope. _

Chapter 5

During my stay at the orphanage, I discussed the disasters very often with Retom. She believed in the most popular theory; it was the legendaries. Many people believed that the legendaries had escaped from their orbs. I wondered how the Master's orbs could possibly fail. Retom said that they had held the legendaries for thousands of years.

Perhaps I should explain. Legend has it that hundreds of thousands of years ago, the planet was inhabited by beings called humans. Pokémon were caught with magical orbs called 'Poke balls' by these humans. The humans were spread out all over the world. But their constant building and disrupting of the earth woke the 20 legendary Pokémon who had created the planet. They rose from their slumber and began wreaking havoc on the humans.

Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres and Mew awoke first in Kanto. The humans tried to stop them be creating a legendary Pokémon of their own, Mewtwo. But Mewtwo sided with the strongest force in the world; the legendaries. That was the last time this was attempted, as Mewtwo became one of the biggest threats to Kanto.

Several years later, Suicune, Entei, Lugia Celebi and Ho-oH awoke and began attacking Johto. Celebi was usually peaceful and kind, but seeing its precious forests cleared away for polluting cities was too mush for it. It began to grow forests inside of the cities, crippling major towns.

Woken by the commotion in Kanto and Johto, the legendaries of Hoenn joined the fray. Groudon was the first to wake, parching the land in a seemingly endless drought. Then Kyogre flooded the land, washing away the good soil; dried up by the earlier drought. Regirock, Registeel and Regice appeared soon after, causing massive earthquakes. Up in space, Rayquaza, Jirachi and Deoxys sensed the imbalance on Earth and descended, adding to the chaos.

The humans cowered as the legendaries roamed the planet until one human stepped forward. She had become a master at catching Pokémon, and believed that the legendaries were no different. After a battle that some say lasted years, the young girl caught every last legendary and sealed them away in powerful orbs the humans called 'Master balls'. With the destruction over, the humans feared that it could be repeated, so they abandoned the planet, leaving the Pokémon to wander freely. The human who caught and sealed away the legendaries became forever known as the Master Trainer; or just The Master to the Pokémon who remained.

No one has seen or heard anything concerning the humans and their magical orbs, but many believe that the legendaries really have escaped. Some hope that The Master will return and seal them away again. I don't think that the legendaries really have escaped, killing my parents; but I do believe that these 'natural' are not natural at all.

_I apologize for the shortness of this chapter, but there is lots of info in it! Besides, you get two chapters in one day! How about that!_


	6. Chapter 6

_I have gotten many comments saying that this story is sad. Unfortunately, things must get worse before they can get better..._

Chapter 6

The past couple of months have made me nervous. Our little orphanage has endured many minor calamities. It started a few ago with a flood. About a week after that, the rain stopped for almost three weeks. Then the earthquakes started. Not nearly as powerful as the one that killed my parents, much smaller and short. They had happened so often that we got used to them. Whenever the earth would start to shake, we merely paused our activities to hold down whatever we were using. But last week, the earthquakes suddenly stopped. Retom said not to worry about it, but I was still weary.

I woke up to darkness. I tried to fall back asleep, but something wouldn't let me. Something was wrong; I just couldn't tell what it was. I gently got down from my bed to make sure I wouldn't wake anyone in my room. I tip-toed silently down the hall and out of the great front door. The sun had just peeked its bright little face over the horizon. I looked up at the morning sky. I was disappointed to see nothing unusual. I stepped carefully away from the open door of my home, still eyeing the sky carefully. I sighed as I realized that there was nothing there. I turned back, defeated. Then, I just so happened to look up and see what was causing me unease.

A great black mass was hovering dangerously in the sky behind Rethom's Orphanage. The orange morning rays of the sun were replaced by dark green waves of light. I stood there motionless as I watched the cloud bubble like a boiling potion. An extra large lump formed on the underside of the floating enigma. I knew what this was. My mind groped helplessly for the word to describe the phenomenon unfolding in front of me. What was it? What is this-this thing? Then, as the lump grew larger and drooped lazily from the cloud, the word clicked in my mind. _Tornado._ A tornado was touching down!

I literally jumped with this realization and sprinted as fast as I could back to the false safety of the orphanage. My foot caught on a rock as I ran and I skidded to a halt. I paused to look up at the now swirling bulge of the clouds before pulling myself up. The wind pressed me back angrily, trying to keep me from warning my caretaker. Leaves blew past me frantically. I could hear the groaning of the orphanage's windows as I pushed myself inside the dangerously banging doors. When I got inside, I could see Henmore ushering a small group of Hoppip into a room. 

"Henmore!" I yelled over the roaring winds behind me.

"Ezlac! Get in here!" Henmore ushered me over.

I was able to take only a few steps before a sudden breath of wind caught me off guard and pushed me against a wall. I tried to pry myself free, but the wind's push was relentless. Henmore yelled something, but the screaming winds drowned out his cry. He took a few steps towards me but the wind pushed even him playfully into the room where the Hoppips cowered. The door slammed shut behind him. I fought even harder to free myself. The whistling noise was deafening; like a screech of a baby mixed with the sound of scratching claws on metal floor. The sound paralyzed me. 

The walls around me fell apart; and the wind screamed in delight as I was thrown up from the collapsed wall. Splintering wood, whistling winds, roaring thunder; all of it swirled around me viciously. Blades of grass, sharp as needles, scratched at me relentlessly. I wanted to cry, I wanted to scream, and I wanted to be free of the swirling and spinning; the roaring and splintering. 

Then, suddenly, as if obeying my desperate wish, the whistling died away. The grass left me alone and the sickening splintering of wood stopped. The kind wind gently lowered me to the ground, on top if the shattered ruins of Rethom's Orphanage.

_I know this is really short. It's just that the next part is a dramatic change in the storyline, so I had to separate it from this transition. From now on though, I hope to have chapters be at least four pages long, not two._


End file.
